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Songs which influenced your technique.

#41
What is hip (pulse)
Papa was a rolling stone (timing, counting)
My name is Mud (muting, finding scary tones)
Keep on moving (made me want to play with a pick)
Blue Bossa (my first attempt at walking lines and following changes)
African flower (ambiences)
The Trooper (speed, focus)

So many...
 
#44
Can't give a particular song, but my early influence was Geddy Lee and learning RUSH tunes. Anything 80's of course like Journey, then later in life came smooth/contemporary jazz (Yellowjackets/Spyro) and soul/funk/R&B stuff - TOP, Stevie Wonder, etc.
 
#45
The Who - My Generation (my first "difficult" song, before that it was all Scorpions and AC/DC)

A bunch of Rush song I transcribed by ear, most notably Xanadu wich I still know by heart (almost the only Rush song I still know front to back, the other being Lakeside Park)

Sam and Dave - Soul Man (Duck at his finest)

Otis Redding - Sitting at the Dock of the Bay (melodic yet groovy, knowing how to support the singer)

The Temptations - My Girl (Jamerson's simple yet effective masterpiece)

Coltrane - Giant Steps (FIRST tune I tried walking to the record, failed in a pathetic way, made me try again with slower numbers)

I also transcribed a bunch of melodic stuff, guitar, horns, harp and voice over the years.
 
#49
What is Hip? and Oil In The Ground by Rocco (16th note groove)
How Sweet It Is - the old motown version with Jamerson (swingin' shuffle groove)
Continuum by Jaco (solo fretless)
Bach cello suite in G major #1 (shifting, arpeggios, harmony)
Portrait of Tracy by Jaco and Amazing Grace by Victor Wooten (harmonics)
Something by the Beatles (Paul McCartney's melodic bass mastery)
I Wish by Stevie Wonder (8th note groove)
Sir Duke by Stevie Wonder (fast swing unison line with the horns, extended range)
 
#51
I was playing a lot of funky bass lines that were just technique and required very little musical ability until I heard Justin Chancellor's bass line off of the song 10,000 days. It sounded so melodic to me it made me rethink my entire style.
 
#52
I'm Gonna Make You Love Me - The Supremes, I think. My bass teacher gave me this to work on a few years back, and it contained so many brilliant phrases that I've adopted into my playing. On the Motown side, also Reach Out and What's Going On have had an impact.

Then there's one particular song that stands out from everything else: "The Pump" by Jeff beck. The Pump is a good name, since you're pumping out steady eights rather slowly in a staccato way. A lot of that happens on the low E where you can't mute by lifting your left hand (which I otherwise do a lot) so you really need to have your right hand technique under control to learn the rhythm. EXCELLENT practicing material. Here's the song by the artists I discovered the song from. . Excellent bass playing on this track, but this guy plays it on the fifth string...

There's way more influences, but here's at least a few.
 
#54
ive been working on some songs which i feel within the last few weeks have made my technique and playing alot more advanced.

Jaco Pastorius - Chromatic Fantasy, Teen Town, Elegant People, Portrait of Tracy

Victor Wooten - The Lesson, 2 Timers, Left, Right & Center, and Sifu (which i mainly just jammed on)

Marcus Miller - Power, Goodbye Porkpie Hat, and Teen Town again (different approach; technique and style wise)
 
#58
For me, anything by Sting w/The Police.

I learned a lot about bass from those records...along with Black Sabbath and (for my pick playing) Newsted-era Metallica. Iron Maiden is good exercise, but I rarely play that way in the context of my original band.
 
#59
P. Aaron said:
Pump It uP
This Year's Girl
Lip Stick Vogue
I Hope You're Happy Now
Accidents Will Happen
Lip Service
...and many, many more

all songs by Elvis Costello; bass player: Bruce Thomas.

Simple yet tasty bass lines that remind one that bass playing is also FUN and not all hellish technique.
Click to expand...

Amen. Good to see some Costello/Thomas love.

Too bad THEY don't "love" each other anymore, though. :(
 
#60
well first, anything by Mötley Crüe, Nikki Sixx inspired me to take up bass. He's me hero.

Good Times Bad Times... or anything by Led Zeppelin, but Good Times Bad Times above anything else. JPJ has a totally awesome style. He proves to all nay-sayers that awesome bassists still use picks... some think Newsted sucks... whatever (how can you suck when you're in Metallica for 16 years?)

Silly Love Songs - Macca

Orion & For Whom The Bell Tolls - Cliff Burton

...And Justice For All (sure Jason is just copying the rhythm guitar, but it's very melodic)

All Nightmare Long - Roberto Agustín Miguel Santiago Samuel Trujillo Veracruz

anything by Iron Maiden... the chords, the constant "galloping" and triplets.
 

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